by Glory Lennon

Created on: April 04, 2007   Last Updated: July 25, 2008

So, I came across this new concept, Mono-Chromatic Gardening. I found it intriguing and thought I'd give it a whirl. What is Mono-Chromatic Gardening? Putting together a flowerbed with plants of one-color. I know what you're thinking. Aren't all plants green? Well, not really but we'll get to that one some other time. As for now we're talking about flowers in the same shade of the rainbow, a bed entirely devoted to perennials in shades of blue, red, yellow or white. The purpose is for a dramatic show focusing on one color. I also planned on an evergreen shrub border and all of these were to be in the back yard, my sanctuary. I planned them carefully, these theme flower beds. At least I thought I had.

The evergreen bed was intended to have continuous color even through winter when all else is bleak. I planted Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Golden False Cypress, Weeping Arborvitae, Burning Bush (Euonymus Europaea), Adam's Needle Yucca but there was something lacking. It needed a focal point. A Kwanza Cherry tree was perfect. At least I thought it was. It took a while, just until autumn came and its leaves fell off, to realize it wasn't evergreen. Then came spring and the Azaleas and Rhodos came alive with pink, white and orchid colored flowers. The Cherry tree also had a cloud of palest pink flowers. Oops! There goes the evergreen bed. That should have been my first clue but I never listen to the little signs.

In the red bed a Weeping Flowering Peach which has a magnificent showing every Spring of magenta blossoms was the focal point and a spectacular focal it still is. It started out as a tiny five foot high tree and beneath it was planted tons of Sweet Williams (Dianthus Barbatus) in pinks and reds and bi-colors. It was a pretty sight until the tree started growing. Quickly it grew to twenty-five feet tall and fifteen feet wide casting shade far over the sun loving Sweet Williams. They didn't take well to the shade. So, I planted Dragon's Blood Sedum which takes shade well but unfortunately a yellow sedum piggy-backed a ride and guess which one is thriving now. Oops #2.

A tree-form Wisteria which, after nine years has yet to bloom, resides in the blue bed. It is the bane of my existence. Boy, oh, boy, does it grow! It is trying desperately to revert back to the vine form and it's a constant battle to hack it back into some semblance of order. Under this was planted a blue Bearded Iris, lavender-blue Japanese Iris, Purple Columbines, dark blue Monks-hoods, Forget-Me-Nots

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